Manufacturing Operations Manager - 1st Shift

The Operations Manager is responsible for leading and optimizing all manufacturing operations at the South Windsor facility. This role owns plant performance across safety, food safety & quality, yield, labor efficiency, and cost control, ensuring the operation delivers against business targets for throughput, cost per pound, and profitability.

This position operates as a key business leader within the facility, driving continuous improvement, developing frontline leadership capability, and ensuring disciplined execution of operational standards. The Operations Manager partners cross-functionally with FSQA, Supply Planning, Maintenance, and Engineering to deliver a safe, compliant, and high-performing operation.

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those required to perform this job's essential functions.

• Regular presence in production areas, including cold, wet, humid, and noisy environments.
• Ability to walk production floors, climb ladders and stairs, and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear
• Off-shift and weekend work may be required to support breakdowns, shutdowns, or project execution.
• Strict adherence to safety, PPE, and hygiene standards are required.

• Own plant safety performance and drive a culture of zero incidents; Ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety standards; Lead hazard identification, root cause analysis, and corrective actions
• Establish and monitor KPIs for: (TRIR, Near-miss reporting, Injury cost reduction)

• Maintain full ownership of HACCP execution within operations; Ensure adherence to all USDA, FSIS, SQF, and regulatory requirements
• Enforce CCP compliance, verification, and documentation discipline
• Partner with FSQA to proactively reduce: Foreign material incidents, Product holds and rework, Drive a “stop production” culture when food safety risk is identified

• Own and deliver against plant targets for: Yield %, OEE, Throughput (lbs./hr.)
• Identify and eliminate sources of: Giveaway, Inedible loss, Process variability
• Drive line optimization through: Equipment performance improvements, Standard work and process control, Downtime reduction initiatives, Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to improve system reliability

• Own labor performance and cost per pound across all shifts; Drive disciplined labor planning aligned to production demand; Eliminate unnecessary overtime and improve staffing models
• Implement systems to track and reduce: Direct labor variance, Indirect labor inefficiencies
• Lead cost savings initiatives tied to: Labor reduction, Yield improvement, Waste elimination

• Lead structured continuous improvement initiatives using CI tools (RCA, Gemba, standard work)
• Build and maintain a pipeline of cost savings and performance improvement projects
• Establish a data-driven culture with daily performance management (Tiered meetings)

• Develop Superintendents and Supervisors into high-performing leaders
• Establish clear expectations for accountability, communication, and execution; Drive engagement, retention, and leadership capability across all shifts
• Ensure proper training, onboarding, and skill development systems are in place

• Partner with: Supply Planning to align production schedules with demand, FSQA to ensure compliance and audit readiness, Maintenance to maximize uptime and equipment reliability, Engineering to support capital projects and process improvements.

• High School diploma with equivalent experience required; Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Operations, Food Science, or related field preferred
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing, protein processing, & high speed packaging systems
• Demonstrated experience managing: Yield and throughput performance, Labor and cost control systems, Continuous improvement initiatives
• Strong knowledge of: HACCP, USDA/FSIS regulations, SQF standards, Manufacturing KPIs (OEE, yield, cost per unit)
• Proven ability to lead and develop large, diverse teams in a fast-paced environment
• Strong verbal and written English skills required; Bilingual in Spanish and/or Portuguese a plus
• Experience with effectively presenting information and responding to questions from clients, customers and the general public required
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office required.